Movie Review: “Love, Simon” – Love Is Love

Written by Caitlin Cooper March 25, 2018

It’s based on the bestselling novel by Becky Albertalli. It’s been raved about by the LGBTQ+ community and on social media. It’s been Certified Fresh by Rotten Tomatoes. Love, Simon is the teen rom-com the world needs, and it’s a truly beautiful story. We’re constantly given stories with straight, all white characters in rom-coms, and films in general. While not without its faults, Love, Simon gives everyone, especially the LGBTQ+ community, a love story with the representation that is sorely lacking in the film industry. Along with its representation, the film is moving and sweet.

Love, Simon follows a teen with a secret: he’s gay. No one knows Simon (Nick Robinson) is gay except for Blue, the anonymous guy he confides in and is falling in love with. When his secret is threatened, Simon has to come to terms with his identity, and face the world with more vulnerability than ever before. Will he get the guy of is dreams? Will his friends and family stand by him if they learn the truth? One thing’s for certain, Simon’s life will be forever changed, and the journey won’t be easy.

“You are still you, Simon.”

I can’t say enough how important this film is. Love, Simon is one of the more diverse teen rom-coms in recent years, and that’s fantastic. Not only that, but the story is compelling, emotional, and sweet. Simon is being blackmailed by a classmate, and as the movie progresses we see Simon come to terms with his identity. He begins by believing to be gay you have to be a stereotype. He thinks that his classmate Ethan (Clark Moore) who is a person of colour and has been out since he was a kid has had it easy because of his confidence and how long he’s been out. There’s an insightful article about Ethan’s journey on Them.us. Over the course of the movie, he learns and accepts who he is. Though he makes mistakes along the way, he stands up for himself and makes a big romantic gesture. What I love about Love, Simon is that the film has plenty of the tropes and cliches that all rom-coms do, but it’s centered around a gay character. It has more representation than most films – it features multiple gay and POC characters -, and is a healthier story than the much loved Call Me By Your Name.

The most beautiful scenes in Love, Simon are when Simon has a heart to heart with other characters. The one with his mom, played by Jennifer Garner, is raw and emotional. To see Simon be so loved and supported is important and beautiful. There wasn’t a dry eye in the theatre. When Simon and Ethan talk, we learn more about Ethan’s journey and experience. I think that scene is also very important. Seeing Simon be supported by his childhood friend Leah (Katherine Langford) despite the fact that he hurt her, is stunning. My other favourite scene is the ending. I won’t spoil it, but it was cute and sweet. It’s the happy ending everyone, especially those from the LGBTQ+ community, deserve. All of these emotionally heavy and sweet scenes were done incredibly well. These scenes are the reason why this movie is necessary. The discrimination the LGBTQ+ community faces is why this movie is necessary. And the fact that heterosexual relationships are still the norm in films is why this movie is necessary. I’ve seen some people saying Love, Simon is too late in a world that’s seemingly more accepting than ever before, but the people who think that are probably coming from a privileged place.

“I deserve great love story.”

The cast did a truly wonderful job, and that’s part of what made this film so good. Nick Robinson takes Simon from awkward, funny, mad, hurting, and happy so believably. His emotional range makes the film easy to fall into. Clark Moore as Ethan is fantastic; while he spends most of the film being sassy, he’s also given some screen time at the end to go beyond the stereotype and add depth to his character. Jennifer Garner plays the perfect, loving and accepting mom with the same emotional strength she brings to all her roles. The talented cast makes the film strong even at its weak moments.

Love, Simon suffers from some awkward dialogue and other weak moments. But given how important this story is, those weaknesses aren’t significant. Many people from the LGBTQ+ community seem to love this film, and are gaining so much comfort from it. The story is moving, sweet, and sometimes hard. But it feels real, and that means a lot. Everyone, whether you’re gay, bi, straight, asexual, etc., needs to see this movie. It takes common rom-com tropes but centers them around a gay character accepting himself and finding love. And that makes Love, Simon one of the most important films of the year.

My Rating: 8.5/10

About Caitlin Cooper

Caitlin is an avid watcher of movies and television shows so she decided to use her passion to write about them. She has a B.A. in English Language and Literature with a Minor in Creative Writing.